Ex-employees Kanko not surprised about harassment complaint and Chinese hacker group is raising the alarm in the US

1. Ex-employees Assita Kanko (N-VA) not surprised about intimidation complaint

The European Parliament has opened an investigation into possible harassment by Assita Kanko, who is a member of the European Parliament for the N-VA. That reports the news site Politics. The investigation follows a complaint filed in November 2022 by a former employee following his resignation, the documents show. We were able to speak to some former employees of Kanko, and they confirm the culture of fear. read more

2. Chinese hacker group is raising alarm in US

China-driven hackers have invaded US critical infrastructure — including military targets — on a massive scale, setting off alarm bells everywhere. According to the American tech giant Microsoft, which discovered the cyber attack, China is preparing for the shutdown of communications, transport and other crucial systems during a future crisis in Asia. read more

3. De Standaard photographer Gert Jochems wins Belfius press prize

De Standaard photographer Gert Jochems won the Belfius press prize with his photo series ‘Back to Ukraine’. In 2022, Jochems traveled through a Ukraine at war. He searched for the stories of ordinary people, invariably the greatest victims of the violence of war. According to the jury, he returned with ‘at the same time strange and terrible images that made us experience the war from the front row’. read more

4. Kristof Calvo will retire from national politics in 2024

Kristof Calvo (Green) will not be a candidate in the 2024 federal elections. For that he would have to request an exception from his party, and he does not. Calvo wants to concentrate on Mechelen, which he calls ‘a place of hope’. ‘Local politics is close to people. It is about concrete actions instead of empty promises or strong slogans. Like every human being, I want to be able to build something up instead of having to tear it down.’ read more

5. Wagner boss Prigozhin: ‘We withdraw the units from Bachmut’

The Russian mercenary group Wagner withdraws its troops from the Ukrainian city of Bachmut. The group surrenders its positions in the city to regular Russian troops. Wagner boss Prigozhin said this in a video on Thursday. read more

6. German economy is going into recession

The German economy is going through heavy weather. In the first quarter of 2023, gross domestic product fell by 0.3 percent compared to the previous three months. The high prices annoy many consumers. read more

7. Police abuse their own national database

Police officers use the General National Database (ANG) as a kind of ‘secret Google’. At the same time, they ensure that incriminating information about themselves is almost impossible to find. This is apparent from a report by the Supervisory Body for Police Information (the privacy commission for the police). read more

8. Trainer Standard chooses Club Brugge

Ronny Deila has taken the plunge. The Norwegian coach of Standard moves to Club Brugge after barely one season.

Deila canceled his weekly press chat. He informed Standard about his decision to leave the club. It also means that he will no longer be on the bench for the last two games.

Bruges will have to pay the lump sum of 2 million euros to make everything official. Deila also brings his assistant Efrain Juarez to Club Brugge. read more